I’d intended a little essay on Astor Piazzolla, a newfound All Hallow’s artist of choice, but time expired before I could get copy entombed in the can. So in its stead, here’s a link to a downloadable sampler of an upcoming Norton Records digital-only box set irascibly titled: I Hate CDs. The good folks over at Norton are world-renowned for their barber’s skill in taking straight razor to the hairy underbelly of garage rock & R&B and lovingly bagging up the still-writhing shavings for joe & jane consumer. The press release for the new project describes the contents as such:
“Norton is proudly prepping a comprehensive survey -- from the psychotic blasts of surly teenage zit-poppers to raging rants from backwoods rockabillies, to howling blues from Valmorized hair hoppers to stomper time demos from world class demi-gods to balls-out garden variety insanity from balls-out garden variety maniacs.”
Strong contender for purple prose pull-quote of the year, but I already have a handful of the tunes on various comps & releases & can vouch for the veracity of every word. I’m under the impression that the sampler is meant for public (ie. non-press) consumption, but if not I may be pulling the plug here momentarily so get it while you can.
Track list for the first volume of the project is included below with a release date set for December 4th. To borrow a phrase from the Malt-O-Meal lexicon that’s almost a second parlance in these parts: “Good stuff, Maynard!”
And to make up for the absence of that aforementioned Astor copy, here's a link to a web-based treastise aiming to prove the thesis of this post's title. It's amateur in design, but chock full of colorful photos & kooky ideas, enjoy!
01. DICTATORS - WHO WILL SAVE ROCK AND ROLL?
02. READYMEN - SHORTNIN' BREAD
03. LEGENDARY STARDUST COWBOY - I HATE CD's
04. BUNKER HILL - THE GIRL CAN'T DANCE
05. HERBIE DUNCAN - HOT LIPS BABY
06. ANDRE WILLIAMS - THE MONKEY SPEAKS HIS MIND
07. INCREDIBLE KINGS - THE LIMP
08. SCREAMING JOE NEAL - ROCK AND ROLL DEACON
09. DALE HAWKINS – NUMBER NINE TRAIN
10. RAMONES - I WANT TO BE YOUR BOYFRIEND
11. DON "PRETTY BOY" COVAY - SWITCHEN IN THE KITCHEN
12. 5.6.7.8's - HARLEM SHUFFLE
13. DARYL BRITT AND THE BLUE JEANS - LOVER LOVER
14. JACK STARR - CHICKEN
15. MARY WEISS - A CERTAIN GUY
16. SCREAMIN' JAY HAWKINS - I HEAR VOICES
17. WADE CURTISS AND THE RHYTHM ROCKERS - PUDDY CAT
18. KID THOMAS - ROCKIN' THIS JOINT TO-NITE
19. SHADES OF NIGHT - FLUCTUATION
20. BIG STAR - SEPTEMBER GURLS
21. TRIUMPHS - SURFSIDE DATE
22. JOHNNY CLARK AND THE FOUR PLAYBOYS - JUNGLE STOMP
23. DOUG SAHM AND THE PHAROAHS - SLOW DOWN
24. REIGN - ZIPPERED UP HEART
25. ESQUERITA - ROCKIN' THE JOINT
26. HASIL ADKINS - CHICKEN SHAKE
27. SONICS - BUSY BODY
28. DANNY ZELLA AND THE ZELL ROCKS - SAPPHIRE
29. JOHNNY POWERS AND THE A-BONES - NEW SPARK
30. MONACLES - I CAN'T WIN
31. LONG JOHN HUNTER – HEY MRS. JONES
32. REAL KIDS - ALL KINDSA GIRLS
33. RAMONES - JUDY IS A PUNK
34. SCOTTY McKAY - BAD TIMES
35. QUESTION MARK AND THE MYSTERIANS - ARE YOU FOR REAL?
36. ROY LONEY AND THE A-BONES - STOP IT BABY
37. STUD COLE - THE WITCH
38. ALARM CLOCKS - MARIE
39. CREATIONS - BETTER WATCH OUT
40. SABRES - MY HOT MAMA
41. HENTCHMEN - HOT ROD MILLIE
42. JERRY McCAIN AND HIS UPSTARTS - A CUTIE NAMED JUDY
43. UNKNOWN GROUP - I'VE HAD ENOUGH
44. NEANDERTHALS - TWINKLE TOES
45. LINK WRAY AND THE RAYMEN – VENDETTA
Okay, so that “sampler” IS pretty weak, little more than a K-Tel commercial in scope & tone, mildly amusing the first time through w/ basically zero replay value. The project still looks solid though & Norton has some fine releases in their existign catalog, my fave being the Link Wray Mr. Guitar set. Still use the custom pick included on my ukelele. Their Long John Hunter & Charlie Feathers solo comps come in close second and third.
Back to Piazzolla. Anyone familiar with his stuff? He’s musician I’ve had flirting contact with over the years. First heard him on Tango: Zero Hour and the ‘jazz’ collaboration w/ Gary Burton on Atlantic, but never delved deeper beyond that despite best intentions. That changed a few weeks ago when I found one of those budget 10-disc boxes at a Half Price Books for a Lincoln & change. I’m not sure what’s represented albums-wise as the discographical info included is pretty much a mess, but there’s a good 8+ hours of music incl. from the late-60s thru just shy of his demise in ’92. I’ve only made it about halfway through, but have really been enjoying the dark spooky elements of Piazolla’s composing & playing styles. Some of the music errs to schmaltzy and overly-baroque in feel, but his approaches to counterpoint and calculated dissonance are often impressive. It’s also been interesting comparing his style on the bandoneon to that of Dino Saluzzi, an obvious acolyte. Anyway, I’m still a babe in the woods when it comes to this stuff and would appreciate any insights.
Posted by: derek at November 1, 2007 7:22 AM.................................................. © 2003 - 2006 bagatellen ..................................................